


Know That I'm With You

by KyeAbove



Series: Rebel Complex [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Despite being four years younger than Sammy, Family Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Johnny is a good big brother, Sammy Lawrence Has ADHD, hints to their backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-29 05:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13920669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyeAbove/pseuds/KyeAbove
Summary: Sammy is a bit too thin, a little too short, too unhealthy, and there are a million reasons for it.





	Know That I'm With You

The music played, brilliantly, and with every key he pressed, Johnny felt happiness and pride. If the orchestra wasn’t being recorded, Johnny might have even sang along. The accompanying lyrics were for the voice actors, not him, but he felt their energy in the music. Both what he was playing on his piano, and what every other member played on their own instrument.

Johnny loved his job. He loved playing music, and knowing it would reach other people, and that they’d remember it. Maybe they wouldn’t know it was him playing it, but he felt joyed by the knowledge they’d be entertained and happy.

The pages ran out, and the music came to a close. Everyone exchanged, telling of a job well done. They’d been at their best, and the music was perfect. Not a sour or misplaced note at all!

“Your brother is really good at writing music. I could never write music for all these instruments.” One of the saxophone players said to Johnny, “How does he do it? Does he play them all?”

Johnny grinned.

“To varying ability, yes. But Sammy’s secret is his to keep.” Johnny answered, and he ended it with a cheerful tune on his piano.

“He really is amazing.”

“When he’s had enough coffee, yes.” Which Sammy certainly had enough of. Whenever Johnny visited his brother’s office, there were always cups littering the desk and sometimes the floor. Johnny used to joke that coffee just materialized into Sammy’s hand when he needed it, since Sammy never seemed to leave his office, until the day Wally walked in during one of Johnny and Sammy’s conversations, with a cup of coffee for Sammy, which Sammy had accepted with a smile.

“I could go for a cup,” One of the other members said. “Anyone else want to go hang out in the break room until we have to play the next song?”

It was a tempting offer, but this was always when Johnny would slip away and visit Sammy. The other members left their chairs and filtered out of the room without sparing Johnny another look, because they knew this well.

On Johnny’s way out, he almost ran right into Norman.

“Oh, hello Mister Polk.” Johnny greeted, looking up to catch Norman’s gaze. “Is there something you need?”

“Yes. It’s about your brother.” Norman said. “Take him out to lunch, for god’s sake.”

So Norman had noticed. Of course. Norman knew all. Johnny figured that he could ask Norman any question and get the absolute truth. Either Norman heard or saw directly what was going on at the studio, or Wally filled him in. Johnny had seen them muttering in darkened corners, Wally snickering or frowning into his words, and Norman nodding along.

Sammy’s problem had probably only stayed a secret this long because he rarely left his office, and he would eat whatever food Johnny brought him, but it was clearly not enough. Wally must have finally mentioned it to Norman.

“I’ll get right on that, sir.” Johnny replied, but he was doubtful Sammy could be dragged away from his work.

“You better get him some proper food.” Norman mildly threatened, handing Johnny a few wrinkled bills. Johnny stared at them, dumbfounded. “Don’t tell him the money is from me.” With that, Norman stalked away, back towards the stairs to his projector booth.

“Sure…” Johnny pocketed the bills. It was best not to question it. If Norman wanted to be kind, who was Johnny to say no to that? Especially since Norman was directing that kindness towards Sammy.

Now a lot more richer, Johnny speed walked to Sammy’s office.

The blinds were down and completely closed, so Johnny couldn’t see what Sammy was doing, or if he was focused on a task, but Johnny had played this game long enough to know what to do. Johnny lightly tapped on the window, loud enough and long enough that Sammy would know he was there, but not enough for Sammy to be pulled from his work.

Sammy had a reputation for being spiteful and angry, but that was mostly because they hadn’t spent thirty years with him. Even though Johnny didn’t know why, and Sammy had admitted he didn’t know either, Sammy could fall into uncontrollable rage when suddenly interrupted from a task, and lash out. It went far past basic annoyance, and it was just something Johnny accepted after all these years. With people trying to come in and out of his office all the time, Sammy had eventually started locking the door.

That of course had led to Sammy getting irritated with Wally for losing his keys, because it meant Sammy had to get up and unlock the door for Wally if he wanted his coffee.

Johnny had his own key to Sammy’s office, and he quietly slid it into the lock, and turned it slowly. The door of Sammy’s office was probably one of the most oiled, so it didn’t make a sound when Johnny opened it.

“Hey, Sam-Sam.” Johnny addressed, and Sammy looked up from the bucket he was clutching, shaking a little. “Too much coffee?”

Johnny didn’t know why Sammy insisted on taking milk in his coffee. It only made him feel sick, and as evident here, sometimes it even made him throw up. The obscene amounts of sugar Johnny once tasted when he’d taken a sip from Sammy's coffee certainly wouldn’t help.

“Yes…” Sammy admitted weakly, putting his head back into the bucket and spitting out the vomit sitting in his mouth.

Johnny didn’t like this. Sammy’s sickness had even reach his face, and his skin was almost white and his cheeks were flushed. Not that Sammy wasn’t usually pale.

Sammy probably hadn’t seen any decent amount of sun for months. His skin still had its olive glow, but it was too many shades light. Johnny remembered, when they were children, that Sammy had been the embodiment of sun kissed. It had always been that way, until their brief stay in England before travelling to America, after which Sammy started hiding from the sun.

It was clear they weren’t going out for lunch. Johnny would return the money to Norman afterwards, with the truth.

“I’m taking you to the infirmary.” Johnny thanked his lucky stars that the boss was crazy and reckless enough that that there was often a nurse on-site, and even when she was away, the infirmary was always stocked with supplies.

“I don’t really want to go.” Sammy looked ashamed, placing the bucket on the floor, and pulling his legs to his chest.

“You really don’t have a choice.” Johnny picked Sammy up with ease. The only protest Sammy gave was a sharp squeak, and a lazy glare. Sammy barely weighed anything, making this all the easier. At better times, Johnny would joke that most of Sammy’s weight came from his thick hair, which he also stubbornly refused to cut to more manageable lengths, and while it was messily braided now, unattended to it usually reached down to his hips, and in the past it’d been even longer, so the joke was valid enough. But it wasn’t a joke for now.

There was also almost a foot difference between him and Sammy in height, something that was often teased about. Johnny would sometimes joke along with them, but note down who said it so he could get back at them later. Sammy was so small because he never had a decent meal until they finally found a home in America, and by then his body had given up on trying to grow, and it was amazing he was even his current height. With three younger siblings and then a baby to feed, he’d been basically starving himself since their madre and padre died so his family wouldn't go hungry.

Johnny had been still growing when kindly widowed Mrs Jacobs had first placed a large roast in front of his family and promised they’d never starve again. Adora and Rosa had dug right in, while Johnny quickly pushed away any doubts and did the same. Johnny and his sisters were able to catch up on their intended growth, and they soon towered over Sammy. But every meal, Sammy wouldn’t eat until everyone else had their fill, and even then it wasn’t that much, and would spend the entire time feeding little Mattie instead.

That was why Johnny hated when people thought his brother was selfish. That, and so much more.

“I love you, Samuel. Don’t you forget that.”

“I know you do, Jonatan.” Sammy replied, before dozing off in Johnny’s arms. Classic coffee crash, but Johnny now had to worry that Sammy might vomit and choke. But even with that worry, this moment was peaceful.

Johnny’s only real wish was that one day everyone else would stop seeing Sammy as troublesome and spiteful, and see the kind man he really was.

**Author's Note:**

> If you’re wondering why Sammy’s still starving himself now when he can eat all he wants, in my personal experience, people with ADHD can often get so trapped in a task that they forget to do even the most basic of tasks, such as eating and sleeping. That’s what’s happening here, mostly. Whenever Sammy starts focusing on something, other things can sort of disappear. Or food can be forgotten in general even without a task to keep him busy. This can go on for days, especially with a lot of coffee, since sugar and milk limits appetite. It's a pretty bad thing, but it happens.


End file.
